Nearly all undocumented immigrants are illegal only in a technical sense. They found jobs while in the United States as tourists or students or they overstayed visas. Some crossed the border without passing through customs and immigration. These people are not hardened criminals. They are not thieves. They are not robbers. They are not rapists. They are not murderers. Those who are should be treated like criminals, just like Americans who commit such crimes. But that's not what most undocumented immigrants are.

The congress is now passing a law that will turn all undocumented immigrants into felons. Then they could be sent to federal penitentiaries just like real criminals. That is wrong. I am not saying that the way things are now is right, but turning good people into criminals is not the way to make things better. It will only make things worse.